Jordan Walsh stepped out of the rain and into a sea of screaming children Monday afternoon amid his debut appearance as a Boston Celtic.
Walsh, just as every Celtics rookie since 2008 has done before him, made his first team appearance Monday afternoon at a community event put on by the organization. The 37th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft helped to conduct a clinic with kids at the freshly renovated Cambridge Community Center before speaking to the Boston media for the very first time.
The 6-foot-7 wing emerged from a black van outside the community center and was greeted by a brief downpouring of rain. It was all sunshine just a few steps later, however, as he entered the gym that was full of excited screams. Walsh soon grabbed a microphone and returned the favor by showcasing his excitement to be in town as a member of the Celtics. The very first sentence that came off his lips was as follows: “Obviously, it’s a dream come true to be a part of the best organization in the NBA.”
Not a bad start.
Walsh’s feelings of gratitude continued to shine through as he met with the media about an hour later.
Walsh, who is just 19 years old, gushed constantly about landing with the Celtics. He is intrigued by the program and enamored by the history.
“I know what type of organization Boston is,” he stated with confidence. “I know that being able to be with guys like (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, who can give me wisdom and who are in a winning environment, and been to the Playoffs so many times. An organization that has so many championships.
“To be in that environment, to grow in a place like that as your first place, so they set the foundation for your career? I feel like that’s the most important part is that foundation, and Boston has a great foundation for that.”
Walsh said he could feel that environment around him when he was inside the Auerbach Center for his two pre-Draft workouts.
“I got to be in the atmosphere of a Boston workout, and feel what it feels like to be in a winning culture’s workout in their gym. And you could feel it in everything you did,” Walsh said. “Even just doing ball handling drills and stretching; it’s always loud, people are screaming, people are always cheering you on.”
To think, that was just with the coaching and basketball operations staffs in the building for the workouts. Throw the likes of Tatum, Brown, Al Horford and Derrick White onto the court around him and the atmosphere will spike to a whole other level.
Within that atmosphere, Walsh said, he is hoping to be taken under Horford’s wing.
“I talked to Al Horford once,” he revealed. “We just texted, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m coming to the city, I’m glad to be here, I’m ready to work. Hopefully I can be under your wing and you can show me the ropes.’”
One rope that no one will need to show Walsh is how to play hard. The rookie made it clear that he understands what Bostonians love and appreciate from their athletes, and that he’s going to provide such effort| every time he steps onto the floor.
Asked what the city is getting in him, Walsh responded without hesitation: “A guy who harps on defense. Who player super hard. Who is tough. Who is going to be consistent in that aspect of the game. Who is going to do the simple things that help winning, that maybe other people may overlook: diving on the floor.”
He continued, “I heard that Boston likes people who dive on the floor more than people who dunk the ball. So that guy’s going to be me.”
That surely is music to Bostonians’ ears. Truthfully, so was every other comment that Walsh made during his first appearance as a Celtic. This was an A-plus foray into the City of Boston. Some might even call it a slam dunk.